8.28.2006

The unknown side of Hinduism

Hinduism is a whirlpool of knowledge, that which cannot be understood at first glance. To be a Hindu is not just about being gifted, but it’s an experience we need to live out in accordance with the Shastras.

Walking through a temple might be an overwhelming experience, where we would believe the superior powers are embedded within the deity. Sure enough, but how did this power get there? How did the idol get a life and how are we sharing this power? Or rather...what is this power that we define as "the ultimate truth"?

The power of the stone is not generate within the stone itself but is generated through the mystical diagram that defines the nature of the deity enclosed within the shrine. Various "bija mantras" attributed to the deity are embedded within this mystical diagram. For now this is just a copper/gold plate that carries the lines that define the true nature of the deity.

The real play starts at the dwajastambha, the main pillar in front of the temple. The fire of life is ignited along a darbha grass rope that connects the main dwajastambha to the shrine within the sanctum. The dwajastambha itself is a complex flag post, which contains designs all of which are attributed of the enclosed deity. Fire and ghee ignite the life of the mystical diagram placed within the sanctum followed by a series of hymns that are sung rhythmically along the cardinal directions within the shrine chamber. The mystical diagram comes alive when the fire with the burning ghee falls on its metal surface.

After this ritual the deity is placed over the metal plate and sealed to the floor using a mixture known as "ashtabandhanam". The idol, made of a specific black stone is the carrier of this energy. This energy is maintained and enhanced by constant worship. Worship includes the bathing of the idol with water, milk, sandal wood, fruit mix, honey, oil, ghee and the like. Food is offered in the form of incense, flowers, fruit and rice to the deity.

The inner power of the idol is maintained by constant "pradakshinam" or circumambulation around the main shrine chamber and various prakaras. Only oil lamps should light the interior chamber and electricity is strictly prohibited. Flower garlands should be strung with banana fiber and not thread. Every thing that is offered to the deity is in its purest form. Hence the power of the deity is maintained.

What is the real nature of this "power"? The nature of this power is strangely electrical, meaning it can produce anything from a mild shock near your elbow to making you shiver if you cannot cope with it. The point is, we need to be ready to receive this power and for that the body and mind need to be prepared. Hence the various philosophies of detachment and zero desire so that we can concentrate on the Self instead of getting distracted by the world around us.

I know I made this sound really simple but this is belief as it stands today and no, Western science cannot prove this in a hurry.

35 comments:

JC Joshi
said...

Hi, Kavitha and Aswin...

Happy Ganesha the trouble shooter’s birthday!

In very brief, the first item, ‘Dhwajastambha’ or a flaccid flag tied to a rigid column, fluttering happily with the wind at the top of the mast - for common man’s information – is an outward reflection or a symbol of a human being achieving ‘moksha’ or ‘liberty’ or ‘siddhi’ or ‘eternal bliss’ or ‘the ultimate truth’, and so on, with the internal dormant energy reaching ‘Sahasrara’, the essence of moon located inside the human head…

It could perhaps be understood in its essential form as the objective of the rituals that are performed within - with pure heart & mind and unshakable faith, i.e., performing Yoga or union of physical, mental, and spiritual exercise, which help detach one from the apparent harshness of the day-to-day life…

Hi Kavitha and Uncle Joshi, i would like to add on to your article. The concept of idolism was brought only after the vedic period. The Wise elders had predicted that as time passes and Kaliyuga appears, Man will believe in more materialistic things rather than spiritual things. Hence they conceptualized god into many forms that humans portrayed and agreed upon. SO thats why we started worshipping idols. The idea behind idol worship was, when a group of people gather in a temple or mutt to perform pujas, their minds start giving out positive vibrations, to add to it, the recital of mantras creates even more powerfull and positive vibrations which is observed by the presiding murthy or idol. So the more the belief, the more the power. The best example is the performance of Kumbabhisekhams in various temples to revitalize the power of the temple deities.

Of course, ‘Science’ also seeks to reach the ‘Truth’ of behaviour, though only of matter in the ‘present’, through observation of happenings in 'Nature’...

As I had explained earlier elsewhere also, in the ‘present’ or the fag-end of Kaliyuga, which in fact is the ‘past’, (or the stage wherefrom advancement in material development actually originally had started), what one’s soul is apparently experiencing is like an old man, (a Post Graduate in the long forgotten past in his prime), gets to see the performance of children in the Nursery Classes at some stage…

Even today an expert Astrophysicist, say, would find it impossible to explain to his own young children all that he has learnt over just a few decades about the ‘Heavenly Bodies’…

Observation of pollution in air/ water has lead man to filter air/ water using gas masks/ filtration of water - as it naturally also happens through the ground to result in potable water…perhaps, similarly, the ancients used thick masonary walls in the temples to filter the impurities in the cosmic particles (as it naturally happened in the underground caves/ Chaityas and Viharas also) to allow only ‘purified’ energy to reach the stone idol to be absorbed therein during the day/ night - to be radiated later in the evening/ morning…

As I had indicated earlier also, lay researchers on models of Pyramids found that irrespective of material used there was some energy generated inside the pyramid (that means ‘fire within’), which they found helped preserve meat/ fish and the sharpness of shaving blades for a longer duration than in the open…

Hi Kannan,Joshi uncle is not a blogger, he posts very regularly to my blog. I am just too lucky that my blog has become a storehouse of all his ideas.

Aswin, Kumbabhisekhams is the part i didnt cover in the posting. I was concentrating on just the dwajastambha. But i would like you to read the post again, for i feel you missed out more vital information that surrounds the idol. The idol is not the main thing, what lies below it is the source of all power.

Hi Kavitha, you are right, i missed the key point, it is not the idol, but the mystique diagram or whatever you call it that provides the vibrations.

In today's world, we have completly ignored the other facts and concentrated on the idol, one best example is the Shri ParthaSarathy Temple in Triplicane. The Garbhagrahams in Parthasarathy temple( mainly Shri Parthasarathy and Shri Narasimha) used to have strong and powerfull positive vibrations. But now our so called wise people have renovated or shall we say degraded the temple by air conditioning the garbagrahams. They have also demolished the Perumal Patham( An idol located at the right corner of the temple which is supposed to signify the Lord's feet itself) and constructed a new one(which is against the Agamashastras). Thanks to the AC, devotees can now comfortably have a darshan of the lord, but they will miss the good old powerfull vibrations of the lord which bless them with peace and prosperity. Maybe you should write a post on the Modernisation of temples. We must not further degrade our great temples by altering them for our comforts.

A temple is not a place where you feel comfortable and pray for namesake, but a place of worship which requires utmost patience devotion and dedication. Therefore, the practice of airconditioning the Grabagrahams and modernising the temples by placing televisions must be stopped.

Talking of ‘Pradakshinam’ or circum-ambulation, I go for an evening walk in a grassy green park near the colony on a tiled path laid out in the form of a rectangle, which reminded a relative - who accompanied me once - of bullocks going round in circles for extracting oil from mustard seeds!

One day it struck me that a large number of the walkers, some single and some in groups of 2-3, maybe apparently belonging to different faiths and religion, or even atheists, in fact, circum-ambulate around the imaginary centre of the park, the formless point or Nirakar just as one goes around an idol in a temple, or as the centre of our galaxy believably makes innumerable Heavenly Bodies go around it in space!

As I said, it is the ‘filtered’ and ‘pure’ natural cosmic energy that the ancients attempted to concentrate inside the temple’s structure with its shape etc., at location selected after careful considerations over ‘shakti pithas’ or natural energy centres at isolated locations far away from normal human habitation to avoid interference, which as you have also indicated are being created today due to lack of knowledge…

Every material form, including human form, also believably has a halo or energy emmission from one’s form, which might be negative, such as those being sometimes reported inside ‘ghost buildings'…There are a few government buildings in New Delhi, for example, which no one in high government seat eligible for allotment of those is prepared to occupy…

In Ramayana also, Bali is indicated as a natural negative force. He beat his identical twin brother Sugriva everytime they fought, for he had power to draw half the strength of his opponent. Rama had to kill him stealthily to gain assistance from helpful Sugriva for raising an army to fight Ravana!

Today, scientists have also come to the conclusion that one might house harmful bacteria and viruses that do not harm the host body, but those are, maybe unknowingly, spread by such a person that harm others…

Not only the idol, individuals also therefore sought protection from negative or harmful forces in the environment with the use of tantra, mantra and yantra, which are now replaced by high compound walls, specially trained dogs, personal bodyguards, CCTV, and so on, for important places and personalities and still live in fear…

I give below my reaction on Pluto’s recent omission from the list of planets to a newspaper, which I know would not be accepted by those who use golden scales to weigh the spirit – even temples today have become money minting machines…and in the West, school students carry firearms for ‘self defence’ in place of ‘Durga’s Kavach’ or their mother’s blessings as in the case of Luv-Kush, i.e., Rama-Sita’s twins in the ancient Orient!

The ancient ‘Hindus’ appear to have considered planets only up to Saturn in their computations, with Moon (Indu, in Sanskrit) as the Guru or the superior most...

Considering man as ‘a model of the universe’, therefore, perhaps like ‘persons-retired-from-active-service’, they reckoned planets beyond Saturn, the non playing captain, in the category ‘they also ran’!

“Poor Pluto was perhaps included in the list of "Planets" in 1930 by 'scientists' in the 'Western Hemisphere' as its existence was realized and it believably was too distant to affect human life. Today, with "terrorists" on top of their mind 24x7, they appear to be more worried about the 'near earth' asteroids of the like that wiped out the dinosaurs! Maybe, they should have accepted at least Ceres, their boss, perhaps Sugriva, (literally meaning 'Good neck', with the background that neck in human body is considered as the house of 'bad' Rakshasha, Shukra/ 'satan'), leader of the 'Vanar sena' or 'monkey army' referred in Hindu Mythology!

I have earlier also tried to highlight the obvious role of our planet Earth [Shiva of our mythology in the Satyuga or the age of perfection, with its unique central force or Ma Kali, located in His heart or core of earth, reflected outward as Moon or Parvati, the Guru with its essence located at the top of human head] as the ultimate hero or the ‘beautiful essence’ of the universe through evolutionary processes, although the roles of others in the chain also were understood as equally important, viz., the centre of our galaxy (Krishna of Dwaperyuga of 50% as the maximum human efficiency possible) and our Sun, the source of white light and its other constituent colours or energy forms associated with selected members of the planetary system (Rama-Sita, vanar sena etc., of Tretayuga of 75% as maximum human efficiency possible)...

In view of the above, the use of coloured gemstones and precious metals (yellow gold, white silver, red copper, etc.) available on earth since time immemorial by humans - in temples besides the stone masonry used in its outer form, and also on person of individual ‘image of God’ all over the world - could help understand how perhaps ‘science’ was much advanced in the ‘past’, with the background indication that ‘Hindus’ understood time as moving backwards – from Satyuga to Kaliyuga as if some all-rounder, invisible being, was viewing His recorded past through innumerable eyes. He was therefore also called Bhootnath or the Lord of the past and, therefore, appearance of human behaviours from bad to worse with passage of time!

mr.joshi you being wiser to all of us, reading your valuable stuffs in comments place making little difficult for one to find n read. y dont you make your online blogging. ppl like you are very very important for us to guide.

Firt of all, I continuing from the last comment, I am to add that, of course, at any intermediate stage, He would also get to see the refreshed souls that apparently are made to repeat the cycle, i.e., moving in the forward direction, restarting from the beginning of Kaliyuga, to ‘heights’, or the achievable potential varying within the range corresponding to the possible efficiency during that particular yuga, which the ancients, based on realization, had stated as 0% to 25% in Kaliyuga, 25% to 50% in Dwaperyuga, and so on...

However, there are examples in ‘Nature’ that come in handy, as tools to visualization of the various phenomena. For example, take the case of eruption of natural geysers, or hot water sulphur springs, even to great heights in to the air from openings on the surface that are connected through natural shafts to great hot depths underground, viz., Yellow Faithful’ in the USA - simultaneously with the return flow falling down back on the ground...As I had earlier elsewhere also explained in detail, even apparently ‘man-made’ (or natural ones using man as a medium as believed by the ancients) water fountains, or diwali firework in the form of pomegranate or ‘anar’ in India, could help in visualization of this phenomenon…

Personally, I could understand the phenomenon of much emphasised ‘activation of kundalini’ by ‘Yogis’ only one day, like a bolt from the blue, after having innumerable times watched since 1947 hoisting of our ‘Tricolour’ (dormant energy), originally tied up (like a slave), holding rose petals at earth level (helpful devta-like common man with pure heart), almost instantaneously with a pull of string to make it reach the top of the mast (top of ‘meru-danda’ or the back-bone named after Meru Town on the slopes of Mount Kenya in Africa!), year after year particularly on the ramparts of ‘Red Fort’ (ma Kali’s tongue-like symbol of original central energy) seen on the TV on the ‘Independence Day’ – perhaps as a symbol of believable ‘liberty’/ ‘moksha’!

Of course, I have seen some naughty knot(s) in the string, at times, spoiling the show in certain local levels, causing embarrassment and need of some ‘Gana’ or representative of 'Ganesha the vighnaharta’ for trouble-shooting!

Shri Kannan, like Aswin had also expressed, I was engaged in my thoughts for my own pleasure only, for long, seeking the 'Truth' in view of the apparent harshness of life being encountered by all - till I came across Kavitha's blog...and I have since then been expressing the thoughts like a 'rag picker' sifts through the garbage and finds something which could perhaps be useful to someone someday...although I am convinced about life being a drama...

I give below a comment I had posted some time ago in another blog...It is said that even if one knows what all Buddha went through in his physical life, one might not be able to read all that went through his mind. And, therefore, copying his physical actions today might not prove helpful at all...

“I do not intend to discourage you and hope that you wouldn't mind my inability to express as beautifully as you do, for man finds one life time insufficient even to read all the material available on just one subject - leave aside comprehending the subject fully. And, there exist infinite numbers of subjects. On top of it, each subject apparently is multiplying many folds with the passage of time... Maybe one would notice similarities in growth and behaviour in human life too - leading ultimately perhaps to chaos...

I was inspired by an advice generally given on 'land surveys' to a student of Engineering: "Start from the whole to the part and not from the part to the whole." For, I found it very similar to the ancient Yogis' attempt to attain 'Siddhi' or all round knowledge, apparently doing nothing - trying only to reach a thoughtless stage or 'zero', believably the original source or the 'great great... grandmother' of the physical universe (apparent or otherwise), perhaps the beautiful most that is beyond words, being formless!” - (08 February, 2006)

To apparently achieve the thoughtless stage, the general process of ‘meditation’, that I observed my elders follow daily, was to sit down in front of image(s) of some deity/ deities in a neat and clean surrounding, light up the earthen lamp and the essence stick, sit with eyes closed while reciting some prayer silently for whatever time it took to complete it…Some used the sweet sounding bell and conch shell too, and there might have been certain variations too depending on varius factors…

As a ‘scientist’ or a ‘seker’ interested in reaching the objective of the process generally, one could conclude that the basic attempt in this exercise was to reach a minimum thought stage (to ultimately reach the thoughtless stage), through control or training of physical senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, and also the internal noise, or variety of thoughts that continue to pop up inside the head from time to time that don’t allow concentration on any one particular issue…

In view of the above I have believed that one should be able at some stage to ‘graduate’ or leave these crutches and achieve a detached state of mind even while the variety of thoughts still continue to pop up – like it is said that an elephant continues in its path leaving the barking dogs behind!

Of course, as Kavitha also says it is not as easy it sounds, the mythological stories also indicate (perhaps as part of a grand design) how many characters, despite long term efforts, eventually got distracted and thus failed in the objective…

Hi Uncle Joshi, A man can reach moksha in two possible ways(if not more). He can either go through all the pleasures of life and then at one point, renounce them. This is the best effective way, as a man has actually enjoyed all sensual pleasures to an extent and his mind is free to think about god. This method can be practiced by common people. Buddha was the greatest example. But beware, this method may sound easy, but you need consistent focus and determination to achieve moksha by this method.

The second method is infact, tough and requires a lot of determination, dedication and discipline. A person has to avoid or virtually boycott persons, things and thoughts that become as obstacles.

Person who follow the latter path are bound to be great religious persons by birth and they naturally concentrate on god to a very large extent and thus gain moksha, Ramana Maharishi, Swami Vivekananda, and Sharada Devi were fantastic examples.

The path to Moksha looks simple, as it requires us to abstain from pleasures like love, lust, love making, greed, attachment, ego, etc. The list of sensual pleasures are endless, and if a person cannot identify the correct method , they are bound to fail.

Currently the youth of the country are mesmerised by Girls,Gambling, Discotheques, bars,etc. The influence of western culture has had a resounding effect in ignorance of our hindu culturwe.

It is good to have fun, hang out with girls, and do other things like *******. But somewhere down the line, we should stop and start our journey in spirituality.

Young people like me ignore spiritual persons mainly because they give unwanted lectures or they provide means that are practically impossible at our age.

If our spiritual leaders could just stop hanging on to their old methods and think out of the box, then perhaps they can find a way to gather a group of youngsters who will lead the way and revive our long lost culture and reap its benefits.

Yes, perhaps what you have expressed are the believable ‘standard’ ways to achieve ‘moksha’ for average human beings. However, if one is to accept the philosophy of ‘Vedanta’, or one formless God and his many apparently physical images, the ultimate belief of the ancients, the doer-ship then remains with the one and only Creator…who will perhaps revive the ancient culture once again!

As I said earlier also, numbers of human beings and consequentially the problems in their day-to-day life are apparently multiplying at more rapid rate with progressive passage of time, leading apparently to a possibility of chaos all over the world at any time because of some one apparent cause or the other, viz., great inundation due to ‘global warming’; nuclear war, with UNO having virtually been reduced to a puppet of the physically powerful ‘West’; and so on...

Also, it may be pointed out that the universe is found by ‘scientists’ to be ‘naturally’ expanding like a balloon and they aren’t sure if the process would continue indefinitely or stop at some stage to start the reverse process - like a pendulum. And, it is a common observation that, if someone continues to blow in air inside a balloon to make it expand more and more, at a certain stage onlookers become tense, expecting it to blow up at any stage as more and more air is continued to be pumped in. Perhaps that kind of intuitive feeling has come in the air and therefore, the youth ‘naturally’ seem to have the desire to ‘enjoy’ the material pleasures before it gets too late…even children of young age today (and, it was stated by the ancients that man will become ‘small’ when end of Kaliyuga is near, which some interpreted as ‘dwarfs’ and not ‘young’!) are doing what the elders in the days gone by did when they were considered mature enough by the society that apparently wielded power over the overall community, including the youth, as an effective single disciplined unit…

The 'wise ancients' said that childhod gets spent in playing games, youth in foolish acts, and old age in repentence...also, time and tide wait for no one...

Perhaps one therefore needs to go to the 'root of time' or the one who is 'beyond time' - as the ancients already seem to have done! But, one doesn't accept the 'Absolute Truth' today... perhaps because of His or Creator's 'Maya' that is illusion!

In case of the root of a tree, it is Mother Earth who normally doesn't allow one to see the roots - one needs to uproot it, which sometimes strong winds 'naturally' do...And, beej- mantra-like seed, that was once sown underground is now seen inside the fruits in great numbers - thanks to the 'panchbhootas'!

Hinduism', or, rather 'Sanatan' Dharma', i.e., the practice, which is carried through time immemorial, is perhaps the oldest 'religion' to accept and seek the existence of the Formless Creator of the illusory universe, i.e., an apparent infinite void filled up with innumerable galaxies, each containing a variety of ‘Heavenly Bodies’…

Based on realization in some believable remote past, the universe was called 'Brahmand', or literally the 'Creator's Egg', to express physical forms as illusory, like a dream within, say, a pinhead or dot called 'Naadbindu' or the unique point source of boundless sound energy, whose 'Maya' or illusion believably allows Him see through innumerable eyes the variety of His Own infinite reflections (as of a sole apparent viewer in infinite 'magical mirrors’, each mirror apparently so designed to reflect a different form, that also fits into an apparent hierarchy between each of the various forms of similar nature, ranging from near zero to near infinity, as apparent in ‘Nature’, from one region to another)…

Each form, believably being a reflection or image of the Creator, is supposed to seek the 'original self' or ‘Atman’, based on whatever information is available through observation of ‘Nature’ and the other innumerable sources...

This is a very wonderful note on the power of God. One may feel the power of God as a mild shock or a big jolt. Whenever you go to a temple, chant a few shlokas, do the "pradakshina" you are basically submitting yourself to God. There is a great deal of power in Submission. During this "Ganesh Chaturthi" we submit ourselves to Ganesha asking him to eradicate our misery/obstacles. In reality Ganesha is never on the scene to eradicate any of our problems/obstacles. He empowers us to overcome them. HE can do that only when we submit ourselves to him. Truly, Hinduism is more about submitting yourself to HIM than anything else. I must appreciate the topics that Kavitha has put up on the blog.Great work.

The dictionary meaning of ‘religion’ (in the New Webster’s Dictionary) reads, “Recognition on the part of man of a controlling superhuman power or powers entitled to obedience, reverence and worship; a particular system of faith in and worship of a Supreme Being or a god or gods, an object of conscientious or encompassing devotion: his country was his religion.”

In ‘India’, one gets to see a variety of practices carried through time immemorial (from Sanatan kal) in recognition of the existence of the one and only Supreme Being, who, although resides within each form, believably could be reached by anyone irrespective of one’s caste, creed, profession, or sex and so on basically because each apparently alien form was also considered as a reflection of the same (Formless) Supreme Being, a realization that was lost in the sands of time. It is still mechanically said that god can appear in any form, or ‘Atithi Devo Bhavah, although one in practice might cheat a 'foreigner' today!

In an attempt to read the minds of the ancients, through various practices as observed, I have come to believe that the word, “Hindu’ and its other derivatives, viz., ‘Hinduism’, ‘Indus Valley Civillization’, etc., are derived from ‘Indu’, that is, Moon. For, the inhabitants of this part of the ancient world, our ancestors, basically used lunar cycle for determination of all their auspicious occasions/ festivals, on a ‘scientific’ basis…

However, the fundamentals of the same, that was known only to the ‘Siddhas’ or the then all round ancient ‘scientists’, have apparently been lost due to passage of Yugas, or long durations of ‘apparent time’. But, the various practices are continued to be performed mechanically through generations...based on ‘surrender’ or 'submission' in ‘Krishna’/ ‘Ganesha’, and so on, the outward projection of the believable root or ‘Mooldhar’, the location where the formless also rests, but in ‘Yoganidra’ or super conscious state, requiring to be awakened - as expressed by the term by Yogis, ‘awakening of the kundalini’…

To cnclude, the story of Brahma seated on the lotus flower that grew out of Vishnu’s navel - watching the demons that evolved from Vishnu’s ears and getting scarier, and scarier, as they grew in size with time – describes him getting panicky and praying to the Lord to save him from the demons. However, it was only at the last moment, to his relief, that the apparently asleep Vishnu - but in reality being ever in a super conscious state - grabbed the demons in His hands!

The above story in essence thus communictes how the demi-gods - the members of the Solar system that apparently are near permanent ‘Heavenly Bodies’ and whose essences go into the making of man - are also helpless and surrender in Him, and therefore it’s not a matter of shame if man also were to surrender in unseen God at all times and anywhere, irrespective of idol or no idol available to one!

Like the favourite ‘adopted son’ of Ma Yashoda, Yogiraj Krishna in Dwaperyuga, in Satyuga, Ganesha the favourite son of Parvati - with small and sleepy eyes of an intelligent, powerful and yet docile animal after due training - believably being the link between the Creator and humans, has therefore come to be adopted as a much revered deity in ‘India’…and the prefix ‘Shri’ in Hindu names came in use to represent Ganesha as a link at ‘Mooladhar’ of each human being, just needing to be reminded of his potential - like Jamwant in Tretayuga made Hanuman aware of it for utilization of the extra energy to reach Sita – to reach Ma Parvati, his Creator!

This is Murali here again to answer your question "Maybe we are looking for instant result or proof for that matter. Or are we missing the point all together? Why are these temples so important? What makes them so unique?" First and foremost spending time with one's self is the most important thing to be done by everyone. But some passtime with themself at the end of the day (viz. like myself) about my achievements all through the day. Also some do it by going to temple and some do it by spending time with their most beloved ones. Going to temple,dargah or church is what some feel enlightened within themselves but that is only for some time or may for a time till they are in the temple. After that they are again back to their tight schedule. Then there is no effect of what was there in the worship place. But how to affect that effect all through the day and so on? That can be done only be done by lighting the Light within themselves, but not 1nce or twice a week when one finds time. First light the light within themselves and feel the spiritual fire within oneself and feel the real power of being united with the God and then light the same light in others which in turn makes one's spiritual power within more stronger. Like this one not only knows about the self but can know the truth of nature and the real truth. This is what to be done when one wants to spend time with himself.

When anyone wants to spend time with one's self then he has to know the reality of life and the truth behind this mankind and it's functionality........

May be I have bored all the way through this lecture........But i feel that you may find not exactly but to some extent right answers to the questions you posed(may be ) to yourself........

Hinduism, minus what some opportunists have made of it, is one of the most researched way-of-life. 'Religion' has become a very biased term nowadays. But inspite of my seeming convictions, i seem to have lost touch with 'faith' completely...any suggestions? I really want to go back to praying...and believing that Somebody is listening. visit our maiden venture aimed to braid travel enthusiasts together.

“One can lead a horse to water/ Twenty cannot make him drink.” And, "Where there is a will/ There is a way."

The general age old formula suggested is to seek answer to the eternal question: Who am I? (I didn’t exist in the present form on this 4.6 billion-year-old and still beautiful and perhaps undying earth - despite several catastrophes, including many underground nuclear tests as we know they are being conducted in the present - say, seventy years ago and definitely won’t last for a total stay of, say, more than one hundred years, maybe eventually dying of cancer/ HIV Aids, and, looking at the trend perhaps of some new and more dangerous and incurable disease in future)…

And, as a hint, the answer found by some is: I am Him (the real unborn and undying one who resides within each human being as some form of energy called “soul” – lying dormant and unknown to me… Lord Vishnu’s avatar in Dwaperyuga, the era of believably achievable human efficiency reduced to 50% of the potential in Satyuga, “Krishna the Yogiraj”, in Gita, also says that all wrong actions, and therefore related thoughts, are due to lack of knowledge. And the “boss”, the believable Perfect Being, Vishnu the Formless, is virtually dormant in His “Yoganidra” or super conscious state and is virtually impossible to be approached because of “Maya” or mental block in humans caused by eight “Chakras” or “Bandhas”, that is, ‘locks’ provided in the body)! And, the rarest of rare Yogis appear to have found keys to some of those locks to almost reach the “Self”! And, Krishna therefore suggests "surrender in him" in order to be personally led by him to himself...It's thus eventually a matter of "faith"! A swimmer knows that a person normally doesn't drown if he doesn't panic! And, a tiger believably normally doesn't attack if one approaches it fearlessly, as narrated by Jim Corbett also in one of his stories!

The 'Chakras' that block our vision made perfect sence to my avant-garde mind. I remember, years back there was a time when everytime I was confused I would start praying. It was like beginning from a dark and deep gorge..and I would soar higher and higher until there was a sudden flash of light. That was a very short phase in my life...I was jobless and I had the time to ponder over many things. I would take up my journal and pour my heart out. But why is it that I lose touch with myself the moment I join work. That perhaps is faith..god..discovering what lies within us..something implanted there right from our genesis and something we have developed over the years..both knowingly and unknowingly. I can feel the changes when I am in touch with that inner-self, but I am hardly aware now... If you ask me 'Who are you'..I can go on and on. But if I am alone and I question myself 'Who am I'...I would be silent. Not that I don't have the will, but maybe I am not trying hard. I tried chanting 'OM' early morning. Yes, I did feel refreshed. But it was mechanical after sometime. Could you please tell me some way...be it mechanical..but some tried-out way. All I am passionate about is my work. I still stop and help a blind cross the road. Still give away part of my food if some stray dog stares for too long. But I can't feel god anymore... HELP! Tell me of some regime, I will follow religiously. But I can't get myself to pray in front of statues and pictures.

One could perhaps conclude from your thoughts, narrated above, that ‘you’ have faith in the Formless or ‘nirakar’, i.e., “Naadbindu” or a point source of energy or the “omnipotent”, and “omnipresent”, i.e., believably the “Absolute Truth”...Although as a young boy I used to visit temples with my parents who invariably performed rituals related with their usual ‘meditation’ and fasts, it did not interest me personally, as a grown up, to copy the format laid down from time immemorial…of course, the sweets etc. received as “prasad” did interest me!

The so called job one gets engaged in is primarily to fulfil external body’s basic needs and, unfortunately, most of the time one feels like a ‘square peg in a round hole’ while performing related tasks assigned to one (SRK during the release of a book of poems written by the then PM found an opportunity to quip in the presence of Shri AVB, that it’s our misfortune that one who should have been a poet is made the PM!)…

Like the ‘commercial break’ in a boring serial/ film, when one can attend to some other more important routines that give happiness to an individual - worship of anything or everything during one’s spare time ritually till this date, without questioning the usefulness or otherwise of the act, as is evident in the ancient most civilization that is ‘India’, appears to have come up based on the realization by a few and practised by the majority that man is an image of God or the model of the universe – a point in reality divided into nine points with different characteristics each of the eight while the ninth or the ‘absolute zero, whose influence extends to infinity’, itself retains its original characteristic property…

Thus the ‘seeker’ believably is required to remain internally attached to Him even when one is apparently outwardly detached from Him – similar to the relationship between the kite and its flier, say! If one knows the date of birth and time (IST) maybe one could take assistance from Shiva or Mother Earth (Her gemstones)! Best Wishes!

I am 23.. and over the ages, I have been reading various texts, on my ORIGIN. A brahmin by caste, I have been made to do a lot of ritual, which I considered meaningless from the beginning, but did it just to gain some conscience. In my ability to question the authority at home about the logic behind performing rituals, I was disappointed, for all they replied to such queries was that - "We do it because it has been done for AGES and its GOOD!!"

I was somehow not convinced completely. Since then, I tried making some efforts to find out what constitutes my identity as been dictated by my ancestors, but again the effort was intermittent and had no FOCUS - I lost interest. I am kind of SPIRITUAL by nature as I am an AMBIVERT and think a lot.

Last month I finished a BOOK called the "The Fountainhead" - which also talks about almost the same thing - the philosphy of objectivism, a profound religion, and the nature of HUMAN SPIRIT.

Yesterday - I (along with my office colleagues) was out (reluctantly) to one of the places called Thiruvannamalai to do the GIRIVALAM, or the 'pradakshina' around the 'giri'. The sub-conscious in me asked me a question - "What is the significane of the DWAJASTTAMBHA?". The question came on my lips and nobody was able to answer it in the crowd of my colleagues.

I 'GOOGLED' it and found this piece written in the BLOGSPHERE. I am THANKFUL to Kavitha.. and also Shrimaan JOSHI, whose thoughts are a source of LIGHT..!!

Being born particularly in a “Brahmin” family in “Pre-Independence India” it was natural for me to hear various mythological stories…

It was only at a certain stage, with “science,” or its application as the basic subject of study for almost 11 years and particularly the frustrating and bitter experiences in day-to-day life, that I got interested to seek answers to WHY?

Going into the depth of “Hindu Thoughts,” communicated through various stories/ Bhagavadgita etc. over two decades, has given me a great pleasure even when I thought I could read only to a very little extent the mind of the ancients through their creations – only the essence… Of course, it eventually means getting a glimpse of the mind of the Formless Creator, who is behind all the creation, and believably is mischievous and very elusive too! …

I have thus been sharing some of the thoughts/ chain of thoughts (right or wrong) - that have appeared in my head - through Kavitha’s blog, as reaction(s) to her postings/ comments of other interested readers…

A great and informative blog...thanks Kavita ji for the post...Its great to trace back our routes and learn about the Hindu traditions and the importance of deity in its supreme form...Still haven't read all the comments but couldn't stop without appreciating your efforts...Thanks a lot...keep up the good work..

Thanks to Shri Srivishnu Mohan I travelled back in time! For, I too was a student at Pilani during 1958-62, when it was called 'Birla Engineering College', before it was renamed BITS in the lines of MITS (M for Masachusettes, USA)...Obviously, the place has undergone many changes to keep pace with time... However, the main building, with the clock-tower, appears to have remained the same, as also 'Shiva-Ganga' where the guest-house was located...

The exterior of the Saraswati Temple there believably is a copy in marble of the famous Kandharia Mahadeva Temple in Khajuraho, (which I haven't visited at all), with Ma Saraswati as the deity...